


Blurry Letters

by whiteraven1606



Series: Loosely Connected [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Fluff, Food, Gen, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-24
Updated: 2013-02-24
Packaged: 2017-12-03 11:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/697940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteraven1606/pseuds/whiteraven1606
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce's glasses aren't always available right after battles. Reading menus when blurry is a pain, so Tony sort of just takes over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blurry Letters

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt fill for: http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/13316.html?thread=30287364#t30287364
> 
> There's mentions of Logan from X-Men in this because of an earlier fill in this series. Just consider him on loan to the Avengers if you haven't read that fill. :D

****

Tony landed next to the Hulk as the last of the lizard men sort-of-not-people dropped from the loss of the signal that controlled their implanted computer brains. "Hey, Big Guy."

Hulk huffed and pointed at the curb. "Hulk can sit and no smash?"

Tony checked it and then flipped up his faceplate. "Yep. You can sit. No problem."

Hulk settled and put his hands on his knees. "Spaceman, Team says like Hulk and Team says like Puny Bruce."

Tony nodded. "Yeah, we like both." He watched Steve helping Wolverine from a hole they'd had to make in the street to get at the main control housing for the lizard men's lair. "Why do you mention it?"

"Puny Bruce no eat after."

Tony tilted his head. "Well, no. You'd never eaten so I've been a little focused on feeding you."

"Hulk like Spaceman food."

"That's great, Big Guy." Tony put his hand on Hulk's arm. "So, what? You want to share after battle meals with Bruce? You sometimes, him sometimes?"

Hulk blinked and then smiled. "Yes." Then he frowned. "Puny Bruce have no fragile glass here."

It amused Tony when the Hulk could pronounce 'fragile,' but would make chicken into 'chick-en.' Tony really wondered if sometimes Hulk wasn't messing with them all. "Agent might have an extra pair along. If not, I'll read the menu for Bruce, how about that?"

Hulk smiled and looked down at the purple pants Tony had worked out for him. "Okay, no shirt?"

With a snort, Tony patted Hulk's arm. "Buddy, I'm rich. Don't worry about Bruce not having a shirt."

Hulk nodded. "Hulk get orange filled cup next time?"

Tony smiled. "Promise, Big Guy. You'll eat next time."

Hulk leaned against the building behind him and started to shrink. Tony glanced up the street at Clint frowning at them. Tony made come-here motions because he knew it was Clint's turn to carry the extra clothes.

Bruce blinked at him and rubbed his hair. "Did I hurt anyone?"

Tony manfully kept himself from rolling his eyes. "Just the lizard not-men. How are you doing?"

Bruce looked down at himself and then pushed himself upright. "I'm starving." He looked around. "Are we not eating this time?"

Tony settled his arm around Bruce's shoulder, careful of the armor's weight. "The Big Guy wanted you to get the after party dinner this time."

"Oh." Bruce frowned, squinting at the lizard not-men strewn across the street. "I take it we won."

Clint jogged up. "Hey, Doc. Got some clothes for you."

Bruce nodded and took the folded clothes. "I don't suppose anyone has my glasses."

Clint shook his head. "Phil did, but then he got knocked into a building and one lenses popped out."

"Ah." Bruce pulled the jeans up over the purple pants. "Tony, tell me again why the stretch polymer has to be _purple_."

Tony grinned. "It goes with green and Bruce-normal skin tones."

Bruce rolled his eyes and pulled on the shirt. "I hate you."

Tony smiled wider and moved his arm so Bruce could shrug up the shirt onto his shoulders. "No, you don't."

Bruce ducked his head and gave them that tiny pleased smile of his. "No. No, I don't."

****

They took up most of the 40's themed place that Tony had found and suggested to Clint to mention to Steve. It looked like it was a successful idea. Steve was along the far wall with Logan, going over the nicknacks tucked up on a high self.

Bruce squinted at the menu. "Is there any..."

Tony snatched the menu from him. "Here. What do you want?"

Across the booth, Natasha hid her smile behind her hand and put her menu down. "Tony."

Tony glanced up and then back to the menu. "What? He can't read without his glasses, which Agent lost."

Phil gingerly sat down next to Natasha. "I didn't _lose_ them, Stark." He looked at Bruce. "I will have them replaced, Doctor."

Bruce shrugged. "It isn't like it is the first time I've lost the use of them."

Tony flipped a page on the menu. "I could get Happy to bring a pair from home."

"No, Tony. He doesn't need to spend an hour trying to get here just to have us turn around and go right back." Bruce flicked the menu. "Burgers, Tony."

Tony grinned and pointed at the menu. "Okay. Burgers. We've got the normal, normal boring, normal with yellow..."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Mustard, Tony. Say mustard."

Tony smirked. "The Big Guy says yellow."

"The other guy has the vocabulary of a five year old." Bruce leaned, trying to look at the menu.

Nodding, Tony angled the menu so Bruce could see the pictures. "Mostly because he hasn't gotten to talk much until lately." He pointed at the menu again. "Spicy boring, bigger than a car, and chick-en with yucky cheese."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Normal with mustard."

Clint shook his head as he shoved Phil and Natasha over enough to make room for himself. "Do you even know what you just ordered, Doc?"

"Sure." Bruce ticked off his fingers. "Hamburger on a bun with lettuce, tomato, onions, and mustard. Considering the place we are in it'll come with fries and either a malt or a shake." He turned his head towards Tony. "Mud, if you please. I'm going to go wash my hands."

Tony started to giggle.

Steve pulled Logan over to them and Tony scooted out so they could get around to the back corner of their huge booth without making the trio of doom move. "Is Thor back yet?"

Tony glanced towards the soda fountain part of the diner and shook his head. "I think he figured out there's malts and shakes. It'll be a while."

Steve nodded. "What were you laughing about?"

With a shrug, Tony waved over the poor kid that was going to be their server. "Just, Bruce using Hulk's word for chocolate shake."

Tony watched everyone order and then put in Bruce's order, with the onions on the side and then his own. He made a note to ask the kid what her major was later as she took their order off to the kitchen. "Thor! Food!"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Tony, he's never going to learn indoor levels of noise if you keep yelling."

"Steve, he was raised in huge halls where you had to yell to be heard. I don't think he's going to figure out modulation for at least a few more months."

Thor came over with several shakes in his hands. "Friends, I have found a wondrous sweet drink."

Bruce came back and eased around Thor to sit beside Tony. Thor sat in the chair they'd pulled up to the edge of the booth.

****

Bruce squinted at his burger. It smelled heavenly. Hot and sizzling from the grill, the bun had a garlic edge to its smell. Even the onions, which didn't smell like they were on the burger, smelled good. That told Bruce just how hungry he really was.

He picked up a tan blob that felt...Yeah, hot, and salty, the fried smell wafting up to him as he stole a dip of ketchup from Tony's plate where he could see the little blob of red.

"Hey!"

Bruce smiled and popped the fry into his mouth. Tony leaned into his side and took Bruce's onions. Bruce snorted and took a bite of his own burger. It was even better than it smelled. The meat had been marinated in something tangy beforehand and before Bruce knew it his plate was empty.

Tony patted him on the shoulder. "Just a minute, you black hole."

Bruce snorted and leaned back as the server switched his empty plate for another full one. Then, Bruce smelled meatloaf on the plate the server reached over to give Steve. "Meatloaf?"

The mostly blue blob that was Steve close up, shrugged. "I like it."

Tony's foot nudged his and Bruce felt guilty for a second. 

"No, I wasn't...It smells good."

Steve must have smiled because Tony fingers ran down Bruce's thigh for a moment before coming back up over the table to grab Bruce's chocolate shake.

"That's Bruce's shake, Thor. We'll get you one if you haven't tried that flavor already."

"It does not have the gritty smell."

Bruce cocked an eyebrow. "What? Malt? I don't like malt."

Thor's big blob shifted and his hand came over to touch Bruce's shoulder. "I did not mean to seem as though I would take your food, Bruce."

Bruce lifted his eyebrows high. "Uh, no. I didn't..." He pushed the glass a little towards Thor. "You just wanted to smell it?"

Logan snatched something from Clint's plate. "I can smell it from here. Double chocolate."

"Hey, Claws. That was my roll."

"Eat it or lose it, buddy."

****

Hulk stared at the billboard. "Spaceman."

Tony landed next to him. "We good, Big Guy? You came back this way fast enough we thought there was another batch of Doombots."

Hulk pointed. "What sign say?"

"You..." Tony flipped his faceplate up and grabbed Hulk's hand. "Hulk, can you read?"

With a sigh, Hulk sat down and tilted his head as he squinted at the sign. "Blurry."

"Wow. Okay." Tony gestured to the billboard. "It is an advertisement for a restaurant called Lambert's. They are the home of the thrown rolls."

"Why throw rolls?"

"I have no idea, Big Guy." Tony flipped down his faceplate and checked the distance. "It's only about thirty minutes away. You want to eat there?"

Hulk stood up. "Shooty Cupid's turn."

"I know, but I think Clint will find thrown rolls hilarious and agree to it, no problem." Tony flicked his comms over so it was internal to the suit and tapped Clint's channel. "Hey, Hawkeye, I know it's your turn, but Hulk saw a restaurant he wants to try. Two words: Thrown rolls."

"Lambert's? Oh, that's awesome. I love Lambert's. Tell him I don't mind at all. Let him think it was still his idea."

Tony smiled and flicked his comms back over. "Clint says you're awesome."

Hulk blinked at him. "Awesome?"

Tony flicked his faceplate back up. "Awesome is like really good good."

With a snort, Hulk turned in place. "Which way?"

"Follow me, Big Guy." Tony flicked the faceplate back down and took off at an easy speed. "JARVIS, see if you can get a good scan of Hulk's eyes."

"Yes, sir."

****

There was a huge line and none of them gave a crap about Hulk sitting on the big chess board on the lawn, trying to learn checkers. 

Tony leaned on the railing and gave Clint and Natasha crap for not double jumping when they could have as Steve was mobbed by kids brave enough to get near Wolverine, who was beside him, which was a lot of kids, actually. Phil stood near Tony, now that he was out of his armor, acting like a bodyguard. Tony wasn't about to tell Agent it did make him feel safer. 

Down the huge porch/walkway, Thor was learning shuffleboard from a pair of little old men that were kicking everyone's butt.

"Avengers, party of eight and a Hulk. Avengers, party of eight and a Hulk."

Clint lead the way in and Tony was happy the ceilings were plenty tall enough for Hulk to stand upright once he'd ducked through the double doors. They were seated in the middle of a big dinning room. Their booth was half a booth and half chairs. They'd moved the table next over and piled up pillows from somewhere for Hulk to sit on at the end of the table.

Hulk watched the kitchen as the rest of the team settled where they were going to sit. Tony took Hulk's right side, Clint took his left. Natasha sat next to Clint, Thor next to her. Phil sat next to Tony with Steve on his other side and Logan took the seat next to Steve.

****

Hulk watched avidly as the young men with hot rolls started throwing them to people. Hulk leaned over to Tony. "How they know to throw where?"

Tony held up his hand and the thrower pitched an easy lob of a roll to him. "Yeah, okay. Just hold up your hand, Big Guy."

Hulk blinked, straightened up, and held up his hand. 

The young man grinned. "It'll bounce when it hits your hand, okay?"

Hulk nodded and the roll was thrown. Hulk caught it as it bounced off one hand with his other hand. He grinned. "More?"

The young man looked back towards them from throwing to other booths. "Sure. How many? Two? Three?"

Hulk looked around his table. "Seven."

"No problem. Want to try a long throw?"

Hulk nodded and soon they were throwing them high enough to brush the flags hanging from the ceilings. Hulk grinned happily, not roaring, because he knew it was too small a room for his big roar.

A tall girl came with a big dish of something hot smelling. "Fried okra for anyone?"

Clint pulled off a paper towel from the roll in the middle of the table. "Oh, yeah. I do. Could we get some ketchup too?"

"Sure thing." She ladled a spoonful of okra onto his paper towel. "How about you, Big Green?"

Hulk squinted at the tiny blobs. He looked to Spaceman. "Is good?"

Spaceman shrugged. "I have no idea." He pointed at Shooty Cupid. "He's making the oh-my-god face. So, yeah. Clint thinks they are awesome."

Hulk looked at the blobs in the shiny bowl. "Hulk try. Pleese."

Natasha leaned forward. "Plea-se. Say plea and then add ease on the end."

"Plea-se?"

A second ladle full was put down on the paper Spaceman had spread in front of him. "Sure thing, honey."

Hulk stared after the server for a few moments. "Honey?"

Shooty Cupid pushed a tiny bottle towards Hulk. "This is honey. She meant you are a sweetie. Honey is sweet."

Hulk huffed and tried to pick up his fried blobs. "Hulk smash fried blobs."

"Yeah, just a second, Big Guy." Tony caught a passing server. "Could we get a big serving spoon for the Hulk?"

The server glanced at Hulk and nodded. "No problem. I'll be right back."

Another sever appeared behind Logan. "Okay. I've got two teas, one coffee, a beer, pitcher of orange soda, one root beer, and a sassafras soda."

Hulk sniffed and leaned over to peer at Tony's bottle. "What is?"

"This? It's root beer." Tony held it up. "Ma'am could we get another of this and the sassafras for him to try?"

"Can do. Anyone else?"

****

Tony kept an eye on the crowd around them as Hulk caught so many rolls they had to hand some off to nearby booths. Not that anyone seemed to mind. Watching Hulk happily catching rolls had started to become a pastime as far as Tony could tell.

They'd gotten more pass-arounds, pan fried potatoes, green beans, more fried okra, and were still looking over the menus.

Tony was having great fun trying to explain pot pies to Hulk when he huffed and looked around himself. 

"Spaceman?"

Tony looked up at Hulk. "What is it, Big Guy?"

"Puny Bruce like honey?"

Blinking, Tony checked Clint out of the corner of his eye, and he didn't know either. Lovely. "I have no idea."

Hulk snorted. "Have Puny Bruce shirt?"

Tony looked down the table because it was Steve's turn for clothes.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, Hulk. We've got Bruce's clothes."

Hulk nodded and looked at Tony again. "Remember Hulk like sass filled cup?"

"Yeah, you know I will."

Hulk nodded and closed his eyes.

****

Bruce had come awake in some pretty odd places, but this, well, this might just take the cake. "Where are we?" He shrugged into his shirt quickly, and looked down at the serving spoon and little tan blobs that looked like fried bits of something on a paper towel in front of him.

Clint beamed. "Lambert's. Home of the thrown rolls."

Bruce blinked and had a flash of a roll flying at him. "You let him play catch with rolls?"

Tony leaned into his side for a moment before backing off. "He likes sass filled cups too."

"Sass?" He squinted and took a sniff, there was the fired, ah, okra, green beans, root beer, tea... sassafras. "Sassafras pop?"

Tony smiled and flipped over the menu he had in his hand. "Yep. Cap thought it sounded good. It stinks."

Steve leaned back to see around Phil. "Hulk likes it, so it must be pretty good, Tony."

Tony stuck his tongue out at Steve and turned back to Bruce. "What do you feel like? They've got...lots of choices."

Bruce tried to squint at the menu, but his eyes were even more tired than normal. He rubbed at them. "Uhm, what sort of food is it?"

****

Bruce wanted to just sit and inhale the smell as the server sat down the chicken dumplings in front of him. Down the table everyone had picked something different. Natasha's fried chicken smelled really good. Tony had a beef pot pie, the crust golden and just a bit flaky. Clint's chicken fried steak was drowning in gravy. 

Bruce couldn't smell the others' food so much, but they were just far enough away for him to make out the steak in front of Logan and the ham steak Steve was cutting into. Thor's bowl of chili looked like it was about to overflow. Phil had some sort of soup with enough rolls around him for a small army.

"How many rolls did he catch?"

Tony grinned with his mouth full. "I quit counting at fifty."

Bruce shook his head and pulled apart a roll to add honey to it. "Huh."

It was still warm, the honey, clover honey by the smell of it, was gooey enough to make it a little messy. Bruce took a bite of chicken and could swear he was in heaven. It was the prefect blend of chicken and spices with the dumpling under-taste.

****

On the flight back to New York, Steve watched the news as they talked more about Hulk in Lambert's than they did the Doombots that had tried to level Joplin. Steve shook his head and looked over at Bruce asleep with his head on Tony's shoulder.

Steve nudged Phil across the way with his foot. "How do I better balance them so both Bruce and Hulk get team meals?"

Phil didn't even look up from his paper work. "I would suggest you ask Stark to make Hulk a set of cutlery we can carry like we do Bruce's clothing. Right now, Hulk is up six meals on Bruce. I'd see if there was a way we could split the meal between the two."

Steve nodded. "I'll mention it to Tony."

Phil smiled at him and then went back to his reports.

****

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, there really is a Lambert's. Yes, the front porch is really huge and always full. Yes, there's a chessboard, and shuffleboard, and rocking chairs. Yes, they really do throw the rolls. If you miss it and it hits the floor they just throw you another. They'll lob them easy or throw hard or high or long or short. It all depends on the person they are throwing towards. Yes, the passarounds that come will be put down on a paper towel if you don't have a plate yet. Even the green beans and the potatoes.


End file.
